3.8-Liter Whipple Blower Boosts Evolution Dark Horse To Bottom Eights

It was a familiar sight at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland, as a Grabber Blue 2024 Mustang Dark Horse rolled through the mid-40-degree air into the burnout box. A quick rev cleaned the tires, and smoke rolled through the air. The car stage, the tree dropped, and the rear tires dug into the sticky track and catapulted the modern Mustang forward.

From inside the cockpit, the sounds were also familiar as the built 10-speed automatic blurred through each gear, and the satisfying sound of a whining blower feeding a high-revving Coyote with boost filled the driver’s ears. But it wasn’t the same blower that had just boosted this car to an 8.46-second rip. There was something bigger and badder under the hood.

Not satisfied with its recent mid-8-second rip from its 2024 Mustang Dark Horse, Evolution Performance pushed the combination by making a big move. The shop swapped its proven Gen 6 3.0-liter Whipple setup in favor of a prototype 3.8-liter Whipple twin-screw supercharger. The impact was immediate. On November 20, 2025, the boosted S650 stormed down the quarter mile and delivered a bottom-8-second run that reset the bar for the S650 platform.

“One of the main changes we made was the supercharger. The Whipple 3.0-liter Gen 6 Supercharger with the engine rpm we were turning was pretty much maxed out,” Fred Cook, of Evolution Performance, explained. “The 3.8-liter allows us to run more boost at a much lower supercharger rpm.”

That change is the fruit of a long-standing development partnership between the shop and the prominent supercharger manufacturer, which has yielded a litany of impressive milestones.

“Fred Cook and the Evolution Performance team are well known for pushing the limits of every new Mustang platform,” Nick Purciello, Product Line Director at Whipple Superchargers, told us. “One thing I’ve learned working with Fred over the years is that he’s exceptionally driven and goal-oriented. Chasing ‘quickest,’ ‘fastest,’ and ‘first’ is a passion we both share, and collaborating with him and his team for nearly eight years has been incredibly rewarding.”

With the bigger blower in place, the Evolution Dark Horse generated an eye-watering 1,482 horsepower and 1,046 lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. In addition to the right combination of hardware and tuning, the Sunoco Race Fuels EPX was part of the secret sauce that unleashed this beast.

“It was an integral part in making the power and tuning the numbers we generated. We developed it with Sunoco Race Fuels, which is three miles from the shop,” Cook explained. “The fuel is heavily oxygenated and consists of Ethanol, Methanol, and Unleaded race fuel. You need a huge fuel system and injectors to run this fuel, but the benefits far exceed running inconsistent pump E85.”

---

Next Level

As the first system out of the gate with a package of an efficient supercharger and a companion calibration, the Whipple Gen 6 3.0-liter supercharger has already written quite an S650 legend. However, with the availability of custom tuning, the ability to push both the Gen 4 Coyote platform and the vaunted twin-screw supercharger eventually pushed the limits of the proven blower.

“Evolution has already accomplished impressive results with their S650 Dark Horse using the standard 3.0-liter supercharger system, running in the 8.40s,” Purciello said. “With the introduction of custom tuning, the door opened for more race-oriented combinations, and this car was the perfect test bed for even greater power. Enter the 3.8-liter.”

While you won’t immediately notice the larger supercharger, unless it is breathing through velocity stacks in place of air filters for all-out racing, the way Evolution deployed it, the Gen 6 3.8-liter supercharger is built for big power and carries the supporting hardware to deliver it.

“Visually, the 3.8-liter doesn’t appear drastically different from the 3.0-liter. Although it is ½-inch taller, a clever engine-mount solution from BMR Suspension allows it to fit cleanly under the stock hood,” Purciello explained. “The 3.8-liter systems also include -8 AN fuel rails in place of the -6 AN rails used on 3.0L kits. The real magic, however, comes from the larger rotors, which provide a 27-percent increase in displacement. This additional volume allows the blower to make more efficient power at higher pressure ratios without needing to spin as fast as the 3.0-liter.”

Of course, performance enthusiasts tend to fall into the bigger-is-better mindset, but immediately stepping up to the larger 3.8-liter unit is likely not the best path unless you have the combination built to flex its true muscle.

“So, what’s the use case for a 3.8-liter? In short, four-digit horsepower. Minimum boost on a typical Coyote setup is around 18 psi, which means race fuel or E85 is mandatory even at the lowest power levels. Pump gas is not an option,” Purciello explained. “For most builds targeting 600 to 1,000 wheel horsepower, the 3.0-liter remains the ideal choice and can support 1,200-plus horsepower when pushed. It offers the flexibility to run pump gas at moderate boost while still being capable at the track. The 3.8-liter, however, is purpose-built for the 1,000- to 1,500-horsepower range (depending on engine specifications), and a built engine is strongly recommended.”

With that sort of performance on tap, the possibilities for modern supercharged Coyotes are tantalizing, and with shops like Evolution continuing to push the envelope, this larger unit is likely to usher in a new era of performance milestones, and we are here for that.

---

This Grabber Blue Dark Horse tips the scales at just over 3,900 pounds with driver, but gallops down the race track with the precision of a dedicated race car. The larger supercharger moves a massive volume of air, and its discharge temps are tamed by an IC Chiller, which allows for consistent performance pass after pass, while a Billy Built 10R80 transmission with a Circle D converter swiftly delivers each shift without complaint. Bringing it all together, a fresh calibration to maximize every advantage the new blower brought to the table.

“Lund Racing made some changes to the transmission part of the calibration,” Cook said. “Even though the 10R80 is built with the best parts available, we’re asking a lot of it to handle 1,482 wheel horsepower.”

The same could be said of the pony car’s pilot. Evolution’s lead technician, Steven Schechterly, not only spins the wrenches on this combination, but he also wheels it to record-breaking runs.

“Being both the wrench and driver is incredibly valuable, as I can translate what I’m feeling and hearing on the track into effective solutions not only for our car but customers as well,” Schechterly reflected.

Under the watchful eye of Nelson Whitlock, who can offer advice based on decades of drag racing experience, Schechterly throttled the Dark Horse to a brisk 1.19-second 60-foot before it pulled hard through the eighth and kept charging out the back. When the boards lit, the numbers told the full story, as an 8.25 at 169.53 mph lit up the scoreboard.

“You can truly feel the power increase throughout the entire run, and the timeslip proves that, but going 170 mph out the back door had my adrenaline pumping!” Schechterly enthused.

With the elusive 7-second barrier in striking distance, the Evolution crew isn’t about to rein in its quest for another record-setting run. It should be exciting to see just what this new combination can deliver.

“There is a ton left. This car weighs 3,920 pounds with the driver. It still has the factory Magneride shocks and struts, factory Recaro seats, B&O Stereo, A/C, and all the body parts are stock,” Cook added. “We have an engine built that will take this combination to the next level with ported heads, valves, springs, retainers, and custom cams.”